Marlee graduated from high school in June of 2014 and moved to the bay area with her brothers in 2015. Both Kyle and Kory were pursing an education at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, Ca. She decided to attend the Jr. College there with her focus on dance as a major. Mariah moved into her own apartment here in town. Unfortunately she suffered a 3rd and final ACL injury which ended her soccer career. She is gifted in other areas so she was able to find passion in art and photography. The artistic gene runs deep in our family blood and Mariah is no exception. She has been able to make this passion a lucrative business while finishing out her bachelor's degree at Fresno State
Kyle graduated from Fresno city college with an AS in Business and went on to graduate from Saint Mary's College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. Kory graduated the year before Kyle with his Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He is currently living and teaching English in Madrid, Spain. Both boys hope to attend Law School sometime in the near future.
Colby is now a Freshman at Clovis North High School. While at Granite Ridge Intermediate he auditioned for his first musical and landed the lead role as Simba in the Lion King. My dad would have been beside himself over this accomplishment. I know he was watching from above and loving every minute of every performance.
My niece, Stephanie and her husband Travis had twin boys on September 15, 2014. Patrick Logan was born at a whopping 2lbs. 14oz. and Dylan at 1lb. 11oz. Dylan was with us for a short time before the Lord took him home. Although we knew the odds ahead of time I don't think you are ever prepared for this kind of loss. We are a strong family, but this was almost more than we could bear. The only comfort is knowing my dad is with Dylan and they are probably the best of buddies. I am so grateful that my dad got to know Patrick in his final months. Stephanie was an attentive granddaughter always offering to help with my dad's care. She would bring Patrick out often to visit and Patrick became fascinated with my dad's wheelchair and walker. My dad looked forward to his visits and you could visibly see his spirits lift when Patrick toddled into his room. This became a bright spot in his day. Therapeutic really. Sean Micheal was born December 21, 2016. Patrick's baby brother is the first family member to be born after my dad's passing. My dad would have been thrilled to know another baby boy was added to the family.
Tony and Jen continue to live at the coast. Meadow is now 8 and Amelia "Millie" is 4. Tony creates beautiful pieces for the home from authentic artifacts collected from all over the world while Jennifer creates living art for the home and garden. Again that artistic gene coursing through the family blood. Tony came to see his grandfather and be with him in his final days. I know my dad felt his presence as he asked about him often and had a sense of peace about him while he was there.
Joe and I moved into a Condominium close to Colby's school after my dad passed away. Although the commute was difficult and he was disconnected from friends for a while this was a small price to pay to spend everyday with grandpa or "Doo-Too", as the kids called him, in his final years. Joe continues to work at the Railroad as an engineer and I work for Fresno Pacific University as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Cindy and Dan continue to live with my mom. Dan had to stop working as his knee and shoulder injuries along with back surgery left him disabled. Cindy works Part-time and they spend the majority of their days enjoying the benefits or semi-retirement and their four beautiful grandchildren.
My mother never left my dad's side. His daily care took it's toll on her physically and emotionally however she refused to hire help insisting that she was "fine" and "could take care of my dad better than anyone else." I have to admit she is an incredible nurse and she was probably right, however, I was concerned that the process might kill her in the meantime. She is an incredibly strong woman and managed to continue working almost full time while also caring for my dad every minute she was home. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to lose someone who has been your partner for almost 60 years. Her work as a nurse has been her saving grace. She continues to work full time at Saint Agnes Medical Center and I am thankful she has a career that she loves and people she loves to work with.
It has been almost a year since my dad passed away. The harsh reality of Parkinson's disease is this...it robs you of your ability to live while allowing you to be fully aware of this fact. Trapped in your own body and unable to care for yourself you become dependent on others to help you walk, eat, go to the restroom and care for your basic needs. This was my dad's realty for the last two years of his life. Our lunches slowly dwindled to non-existent. It became too difficult for him to get up and out of the house. I shifted my visits to the home and eventually in May of 2014 Joe, Colby and I moved in with my mom to offer extra helping hands with my dad's daily care. Dan did the lion's share of caring for my dad during the day. He was his care provider in the final months of my dad's life. He continued to push my dad towards independence. He wasn't willing to accept the inevitable and it was evident in his frustration with the disease process. My sister, Joe, and I provided extra helping hands when we got home from work. My mom provided my dad's care all night long. Between the 5 of us we cared for my dad until his final days. He passed away peacefully on January 14, 2016 at Saint Agnes Medical Center with most of his family by his side.
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